Insole-positioning means



Oct. 25, 1932. A. R. SCHOENKY 1,884,382

INSOLE POSITIONING MEANS Filed Feb. 1, 1929 Patented Oct. 25, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUGUST R. SCHOENKY, OF BEVERLY,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY INSOLE-POSITIONIN G MEANS Application filed February 1, 1929, Serial No. 336,697, and. in Great Britain December 31, 1928.

This invention relates to means for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes for positioning insoles on their lasts.

In Letters Patent No. 1,736,27 6, granted on November 19, 1929 upon an application of Arthur F. Pym, there was disclosed insolepositioning means comprising a device portable with the last and insole with a portion thereof overlying the bottom face of the insole and having a plurality of pins or projections arranged to extend through the insole into holes previously provided in the bottom of the last to position the insole in proper re lation to the last during a portion of the manufacturing operations on the shoe. This invention relates more particularly to devices of the type disclosed in said Letters Patent, anobject being to provide an improved device of that character which will be inexpensive to manufacture, convenient to manipulate and durable in use.

To the above and other ends, the invention, in one important aspect, provides an insolepositioning device formed of a single piece of metal, preferably sheet metal, the construction shown comprising a sheet metal member which has an intermediate or body portion adapted to overlie the bottom face of the insole and is bent near its opposite ends to provide projections constructed and a ranged to extend through theinsole into holes in the last. Preferably the metal used is resilient, and the body portion of the device is so formed as to adapt it to be sprung into clamping relation to the bottom face of the insole, after which it acts by its resiliency to cramp the projections in the holes in the last and thereby to hold the device in place in the same general manner as disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent. In order to increase the strength or rigidity of the proj ections of the sheet metal member that enter the holes in the insole and last, and also to facilitate their entrance into the holes, the invention in its illustrated embodiment further provides a construction in which the projections are curved laterally, or about axes extending lengthwise thereof, and they are also preferably rounded on their ends to facilitate their entrance into the holes. To provide for greater strength at the junction of the body portion of the sheet metal mem her with eachof its projections, the member is further herein shown as curved laterally in each of those locations, these curvatures, as i illustrated, extending for some distances alon the ends of the body portion of the mem er and being also such as to merge in the lateral curvatures of the projections themselves.

The invention will now be more particularly described by refernce to the accompanying drawing and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a last with an insole positioned thereon by the use of means constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the last and other parts shown in Fig. 1, illustrating further the relation of the insolepositioning device to the last and insole;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the insole-position ing device detached; I

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the device; and a Fig. 5 is an end view of the device.

As disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, an insole-positioning device of the type illustrated is adapted for use with a last having in its bottom a plurality of holes with which corresponding holes in an insole are arranged to aline when the insole is in proper relation to the last. As further explained therein, in accordance with one method of shoe manufacture, holes thus provided in the last may be used for positioning the last and its shoe materials in proper relation to a machine for operating on the materials, such as a toe-lasting-machine. The drawing shows a last a in which three such holes 10 are provided in the bottom of the forepart, with which corresponding holes 12 in the insole b are arranged to aline, only two of the holes in the last being visible (Fig. 2). The holes 10 are formed in metal bushings 14' inserted in the wood of the last, and it will be seen that the two holes above mentioned are spaced apart widthwise of the last at the rear of the third hole.v Similarly to the disclosure of the above-mentioned Letters Patent, it is these two holes and the corresponding holes in the insole that are preferably utilized, asherein illustrated, for positioning and holdingthe insole in proper relation to the last by means of a device having projections extending through. the holes in the insole into the holes in the last.

For purposes of this invention the insole= positioning, device herein shown comprises a single piece of resilient sheet inetalwhich is so formed as to provide an'intermediate or" body portion 16 adapted to overlie the bottom face of the-insole and is bent near its opposite ends to provideprojections 18 in angular relation to itszbody portion to extend through the holes 12 in the insole into thehol'es 10 in the last. The body portion 16 of thefd evice is soformed as to presentinitially a lengt wise concave face'toward the bottom face of the insole, extending substantially from one projection 18 to the other, with the projections 18.somewhatinclined-toward each other as illustrated in Fig. 3', so that the ends-of the projections are slightly nearer together than the holes in the insole and'last; andJin applyingthe 'devicein operative position theworkman presses on the middle of the jbody portion 16 and thereby springs it into a more nearly strai ht condition while forcing it nto clamping re ation'to theinsole. In this way the projections 18 are tipped until they enter the holes readily, and'thereafter the re-,

siliency of the body portion 16 serves to cram the projections in the holes in the last and t ereby to hold the device elfectivelyin place in the same general manner as in the use of the form' of device disclosed in the Letters Patent above mentioned.

It is desirable that the projections 18 that enter the holes in the'insole' and last shall be as rigid as possible, in order to prevent distortion or breakage;.a'nd with this in view and also to facilitate the entrance of the projecti'ons into the round holes, the portions of the sheet metal member that form the projections are curved laterally, i. e., about axes extending lengthwise of the projections, the curvature illustrated-being such that the pro jections present convex faces toward each other. Preferably also, as shown, the projectionsarerounded', on their ends for greater facility lninserting them into the holes in the insole and last; Itis likewise important that the device shall be as strong or rigid aspossible at the junction of the body portion 16 with each of the projections 18, and accordingly in the construction shown the sheet metal member is curved laterally in each of these locations, as indicated at 20, these curvatures being convex on the side toward the insole. Preferably, as shown, the lateral curvature at each of the locations 20 extends for some distance along the end of the body portion 16 of the device and also merges in the curvature of the adjacent projection 18, the rest of the body portion being straight laterally to render it sufliciently flexible.

It will be seen that the body portion 1-6 of the deviceis widest in a location intermediate between its ends where the greatest bending occurs, its width in that location being such as to afford the required strength while permitting it'to be readily sprung into operative position, and that it taperstoward its ends until its side edges merge in.v the side edges of the comparatively narrow projections 18. The device is thus free from any sharp corners and is therefore convenient to handle. y Y It will be understood that the device described is usedin the same manner as that disclosed .in the Letters Patent mentioned. That is, it is applied when the insole is assembled with the last to position the insole in properlengthwise, lateral and angular re-- lation to the last, and it serves to hold the insole at: the forepartin the positionv deter mined. If desired, one or more tacks't may 9 be driven to assist in holding the insole close to the last at the rearof the'forepart. The device may be removed at any stage in the manufacture of the shoe when. its removal is desirable,for example after the pullingover, side-lasting and heel-enddasting oper ations.v If the holes in the insole and last are tobe utilized in positioning the work ina toe-lasting machine, as hereinbefore explained, the device will be removed prior to the toe-lasting operation to permit such use of the holes. It will be seen that the con.- struction ofthe device and its: relation. to the shoe are such as not to interfere in any way with the operationsof pulling-over and sidelasting machines of the usual types.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and: desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. A devicefor positioning an insole on a last comprising a sheet metal member having a body portion adapted to overlie the bottomface. of the insole and having oppo. site end portions forming projections in angular relation to its body portion and constructed and arranged to extend into holes previously provided in the insole andlast, said projections being curved laterally to present convex faces toward eachother and being rounded on their ends to facilitate wise thereof with their side edges mer their entrance into the holes in the insole and last.

2. A device for positioning an insole on a last comprising a resilient sheet metal member having a body portion tapering toward its opposite ends and adapted to overlie the bottom face of the insole and bent near its ends to provide projections inclined toward each other and constructed and arranged to extend through the insole into holes previously provided in the last, said projections being curved about axes extending lengthin in the side edges of the body portion of thi member.

3. A device for positioning an insole on a last comprising a resilient sheet metal member having a body portion adapted to overlie the bottom face of the insole and having opposite end portions forming projections in angular relation to its body portion and constructed and arranged to extend through the insole into holes previously provided in the last, said projections being curved about axes extending lengthwise thereof to increase their strength and said member having a lateral curvature at the junction of its body portion with each of said projections to increase its strength in those locations and having the rest of its body portion straight laterally.

4. A device for positioning an insole on a last comprising a one-piece resilient metal member having a bodyportion formed to present initially a lengthwise concave face 7 toward the bottom face of the insole and adapted to be sprung into clamping relation to the bottom face of the insole, said member being bent near its opposite ends to provide projections initially inclined toward each other and constructed and arranged to extend through the insole into holes in the last and to be cramped in said holes by the resiliency of the body portion of the member.

5. A device for positioning an insole on a last comprising a one-piece resilient sheet metal member having a body portion formed to present initially a lengthwise concave face toward the bottom face of the insole and adapted to be sprung into clamping relation to the bottom face of the insole, said member having opposite end portions forming projections in angular relation to its body portion and constructed and arranged to extend through the insole into holes in the last and to be cramped in said holes by the resiliency of the body portion of the member, said projections being curved laterally to increase their strength and to facilitate their entrance into the holes in the last.

6. A device for positioning an insole on a last comprising a one-piece resilient sheet metal member having a body portion formed to present initially a lengthwise concave face toward the bottom face of the insole and adapted to be sprung into clamping relation to the bottom face of the insole, said member being bent near its opposite ends to provide projections constructed and arranged to extend through the insole into holes in the last and to be cramped in said holes by the resiliency of the body portion of the member and having a lateral curvature at the junction of its body portion with each of said projections to increase its strength in those locations.

In testimony whereof I have i signed my name to this specification.

AUGUST R. SCHOEN KY. 

